Oroville man takes stand to deny allegations in child sex abuse trial

OROVILLE >> An Oroville man on trial for 24 counts of child sex abuse took the stand in his own defense Monday.

Before court adjourned for the day, defendant Christopher Stephen Carter, 46, refuted allegations that he inappropriately touched a woman when she was a child starting in 1999.

Under questioning by defense attorney Jesse Santana, Carter acknowledged becoming close with the woman when she was 17 in April and May of 2011.

That period is shortly before a surveillance camera in the female's bedroom reportedly recorded sexual conduct between Carter and the woman, now in her early 20s.

That video, recorded by an older female, was turned over to police and led to Carter's arrest in late June 2011.

Carter is charged in Butte County Superior Court with continuous sexual abuse of the girl from 1999 until she turned 14 in 2007. He also faces charges of sexual penetration with a foreign object, oral copulation, forcible rape and unlawful sexual intercourse.

The defendant also faces a count of poisoning involving the older female's food.

Recollections vary

When the younger woman testified last week, she said she was 6 when Carter touched her genitals over her underwear while in a bed.

On the stand Monday, Carter said the incident never happened.

He also denied the woman's claims of similar incidents in different locations. For example, the woman said there was an incident that took place during an outdoor trip to Spanish Peak, northeast of Bucks Lake.

Carter said the incident didn't happen. He said they often took the trip with a group or there were others on the trail.

Questioning Monday didn't address the woman's claims Carter had intercourse with her beginning during her freshman year of high school. There was also no questions about the allegations Carter drugged both the younger and older women.

Defendant evaluated

Also Monday, a doctor testified he evaluated Carter for the defense. Dr. Donald Siggins of Woodland said Carter took two psychological evaluations on a computer and underwent three hours of interviews.

Siggins concluded Carter did not exhibit any of the traits generally associated with the population of child molesters or pedophiles. These traits may include anti-social behavior, introversion, depression, guilt and a lack of remorse for violence against others.

The doctor said Carter demonstrated overly emotional behaviors, gregariousness and a willingness to make a point.

On cross-examination by deputy district attorney Jennifer Dupre-Tokos, the doctor said the tests do not currently try to determine if a person is a pedophile or molester. The test can also generate a low percentage of false positives.

The prosecutor asked if a child molester wouldn't test for the traits Siggins previously mentioned. He said child molesters generally suffer some sort of mental illness and if they didn't test for one condition, it was likely they would test positive for another.

Siggins said the testing process attempts to account for factors such as being defensive for having to take the test. Siggins said a doctor will account for the factors and determine if the test is valid.